Thankfully, the coal merchant was behind the house and didn’t see him. He kept his back toward the jailers as they ran past in pursuit of two women who were practically running in the opposite direction. Although he had only briefly caught sight of their quarry, he felt fairly certain he knew who it was. He frowned and watched the jailers disappear down an alleyway between two shops. He could only presume that the alley would come out at the back of the shops, and the women would appear beside him at any moment. If they were trying to avoid their pursuers, they had just succeeded in leading them in a large circle. That was fine; and would work, as long as the jailer’s didn’t double back on themselves. A thrill of anticipation swept through him at the thought that there were two women the jailers were looking to speak to, and two women who he desperately needed to see with his own eyes. In spite of the tension that reverberated through him, he casually propped his shoulders against the wall, tugged his hat low to cover his face, and waited.
